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Showing posts with label production. Show all posts
Showing posts with label production. Show all posts

Video - Food By the Numbers: Feeding our Hungry Planet

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Showing Support for Family Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture

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Family farmers are extremely valuable yet they are under siege and need our support. World Food Day 2014 shines a spotlight on the world's 500 million family farmers. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that based on data from 93 countries, family farmers account for an average of 80 percent of all holdings, and are the main producers of food that is consumed locally. Family farmers are also sustainable farmers. Sadly family farmers are disappearing at an alarming rate. Family farms that used to be an important source of rural jobs.

As explained in a foodtank article

"The world cannot do without the family farmer," says Amy McMillen, Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator for FAO. "It’s because of the family farmer that we eat a variety of healthy foods every day. And yet, family farmers still make up the majority of poor and hungry people in the world. We must do more to incentivize, celebrate and exponentially improve the lives of family farmers to ensure all people have access to fresh, healthy food."

While family farms are critical to food security and sustainable agriculture, they are having an increasingly hard time making ends meet. More need to be done to support them with tools and resources that address the cost of land, labor costs, government regulations and policies, climate change and the inherent risk of farming, as well as the disproportionate amount of work required given the financial returns.

As explained by Nabeeha M. Kazi, President & CEO of Humanitas Global and Chair of the Community for Zero Hunger, we must work to preserve family farmers.

"We do not want the universe of family farmers to shrink, and we must have policies, programs and resources to enable family farmers to stay on the farm if they desire to do so and perform at their potential," says Kazi.

We must help farmers to develop tools for designing sustainable agricultural systems based on the diversity and stability of local ecosystems. We all have a vested interest in supporting the family farmer. We simply cannot afford to lose family farmers if we are to address issues of food security and engage sustainable agricultural practices.

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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Infographic - Biodiversity for Family Farming

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World Food Day 2014: Assessing US Agricultural Risks and Focusing on Family Farms

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October 16th is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ designated World Food Day. This event was first celebrated thirty three years ago. The theme for 2014 is Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth”, drawing global attention to the importance of smallholder farmers. Family farms are key to improving food security and better management of natural resources. As explained by the CGIAR Consortium, "Family farming plays a significant role in reducing poverty and hunger, by providing the household and communities with nutrition rich food and livelihoods."

The resource demands from agriculture are considerable and we will never be able to reign in climate change and transition to a green economy without addressing the issue of food.

The future of agriculture will be challenging. As explained in the Risky Business report, alarming losses are predicted for America's agricultural industry. These concerns represent a salient economic concern for the US and the world.

According to the report climate change may diminish agricultural yields by as much as 73 percent in some states. Some of the most productive agricultural lands will be ravaged by extreme heat, prolonged spring downpours, and widespread and extended drought.

The effect of climate change on agricultural productivity will have staggering economic impacts. One of the areas expected to suffer agriculture declines due to climate change is the Upper Midwest. This area contains more than 520,000 farms which produced nearly $136 billion worth of crops in 2012. More than half (65 percent) of nation's corn and soybeans come from this area.

If we fail to act places like Missouri and Illinois will see average yield losses up to 73 percent by the end of the century. The report also indicates that we can anticipate short-term average yield losses up to 15 percent in the next 5 to 25 years. The Midwest region faces yield declines of up to 19 percent by mid-century and 63 percent by the end of the century.

Family farms can readily adapt to changing weather conditions through agricultural practices such as crop switching and double or triple cropping. Other cropping practices that may help include no-till, cover crops, and riparian and wetland buffers.

We must begin building agricultural resilience to climate change by improving soil health, water quality and protective habitat.

Economic incentives from emerging environmental markets and the greening of the commodity supply chain also provide new opportunities for producers to earn revenue while conserving vulnerable natural resources.

© 2014, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

Related
Showing Support for Family Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture
Infographic - Biodiversity for Family Farming
Video - Food by the Numbers: Feeding our Hungry Planet
The Think Eat Save Student Challenge
Food and Agricultural Sectors are at Risk from Climate Change
Food Waste is an Unfortunate Thanksgiving Tradition
Infographics: Population, Food, Agriculture, Water, GHGs and Solutions (World Resources Institute)
Insects are a Sustainable Food Choice
Organic Produce and Sustainable Seafoods
Population Growth and Global Food Production
Food Production and Climate Change
Breaking the Cycle of Famine
Food Production and UN Millennium Development Goals
Blog Action Day 2011: Food
The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity
Genetic Engineering: The Dark Side of Climate Ready Crops
In India Childhood Malnutrition is Compounded by Deadly Corruption
Video - Sustainable Meat: Trailer from the Documentary "American Meat"
Read More»

Event - Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture 2014

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The Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture, will take place on July 14th & 15th, 2014, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, Manila. Feeding a global population of 9 billion by 2050 will require transformational changes to our farming and agricultural systems, already under pressure from climate change and water scarcity. This year’s Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture is being held in partnership with WWF.

The forum will explore innovative and collaborative approaches to improving agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability across the following commodity value chains; corn, coffee and cocoa, fisheries and aquaculture, palm oil, , rice and sugar.

Global leaders will gather from business, government and NGOs to make recommendations for increasing agricultural productivity, whilst improving rural livelihoods and reducing environmental impacts. Agricultural commodities addressed will include – rice; poultry; fisheries & aquaculture; palm oil; coffee & cocoa and sugar. Working groups will produce recommendations on sustainable land use, equitable opportunity for small-holder farmers, increasing productivity and improving rural livelihoods.

For more information or to register click here.

Related
World Food Day 2014: Assessing US Agricultural Risks and Focusing on Family Farms
Showing Support for Family Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture
Infographic - Biodiversity for Family Farming
Video - Food by the Numbers: Feeding our Hungry Planet
The Think Eat Save Student Challenge
Food and Agricultural Sectors are at Risk from Climate Change
Food Waste is an Unfortunate Thanksgiving Tradition
Infographics: Population, Food, Agriculture, Water, GHGs and Solutions (World Resources Institute)
Insects are a Sustainable Food Choice
Organic Produce and Sustainable Seafoods
Population Growth and Global Food Production
Food Production and Climate Change
Breaking the Cycle of Famine
Food Production and UN Millennium Development Goals
Blog Action Day 2011: Food
The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity
Genetic Engineering: The Dark Side of Climate Ready Crops
In India Childhood Malnutrition is Compounded by Deadly Corruption
Video - Sustainable Meat: Trailer from the Documentary "American Meat"
Read More»

Video - The Rebirth of Food Waste into Fuel in South Korea

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In densely populated South Korea food waste is being reborn as methane. Through a process that reduces climate change causing greenhouse gases, the nation is developing new technologies that are transforming daily waste into energy.

The Sudokwon Landfill Site Management Corporation is one of the firms that is generating biogas from food waste water. This alternative source of energy reduces greenhouse gas emissions as well as pollution in the water and the air. For every 1,000 tons of food waste water, 14,400 cubic meters of biogas can be produced. The facilities produce fuels that have been used for about 300 city buses and street cleaning cars.

There are many benefit of biogas, over other fossil fuels. Compared with diesel, biogas is about 45 percent cheaper and in terms of the environment, biogas produces only one third of the air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxide and sulfur oxides. Thanks to this technology, South Korea has reduced the food waste water it dumps into the ocean.

The fuels produced create 2 billion won of economic value every year, while reducing 30,000 tons of greenhouse gas emission each year.

Other local governments are also working to establish facilities that transform food waste, livestock excretions and other organic wastes into biogas. The South Korean government is also active in providing support.

Facilities produce about 130 million cubic meters of biogas annually, which is used as automotive fuel, gas or power generation.

As reported in a March 2014 Guardian article, Steven Borowiec explains South Korea's high-tech solutions to reducing food waste.

High-tech food waste management programs are being piloted in two districts in Seoul. The program works by giving each household a card that has a radio frequency identification (RFID) chip embedded in it containing the user's name and address. They scan their card on a small card-reader on the front of the high-tech bin to get the lid to open, then dump the food waste into the bin and onto the scale at the bottom, which gives a numerical reading of the waste's weight and disposal cost.

Getting rid of food waste is a matter of particular urgency in South Korean households. Last year, the government started a nationwide program to charge residents according the weight of what they were throwing away, a change that officials hope will lead to a nationwide reduction in food waste.

The Ministry of Environment has said that the goal is to eventually reduce total national food waste by 20 percent, thereby cutting waste treatment costs.

Officials in Seoul hope that the program will eventually be implemented throughout the country.

Related
World Food Day 2014: Assessing US Agricultural Risks and Focusing on Family Farms
Showing Support for Family Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture
Infographic - Biodiversity for Family Farming
Video - Food by the Numbers: Feeding our Hungry Planet
The Think Eat Save Student Challenge
Food and Agricultural Sectors are at Risk from Climate Change
Food Waste is an Unfortunate Thanksgiving Tradition
Infographics: Population, Food, Agriculture, Water, GHGs and Solutions (World Resources Institute)
Insects are a Sustainable Food Choice
Organic Produce and Sustainable Seafoods
Population Growth and Global Food Production
Food Production and Climate Change
Breaking the Cycle of Famine
Food Production and UN Millennium Development Goals
Blog Action Day 2011: Food
The F Word: Famine is the Real Obscenity
Genetic Engineering: The Dark Side of Climate Ready Crops
In India Childhood Malnutrition is Compounded by Deadly Corruption
Video - Sustainable Meat: Trailer from the Documentary "American Meat"
Read More»

Event - The Progressive Manufacturing Summit

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The Progressive Manufacturing Summit will take place in May 28 - 30, 2014. This event engages Vice Presidents and Directors of Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics, Human Resources and Procurement for industrial facilities across the nation. They work with FMA to learn how to better achieve and surpass their strategic goals of operational efficiency, development and lean strategies within their supply chain and manufacturing processes. FMA Summits provide the platform for sharing best practices; through rich dialogue, thought leader presentations and establishing relationships between decision-makers with needs and industry leading solution providers.

Topics

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Off-shoring, near-shoring, re-shoring and Made in the USA Federal Programs: Incentives & Initiatives Workforce Development & Job Creation Strategic Private-Public Partnerships & Regional Collaboration

AUTOMATION

Safety: Regulations & Implementation High Precision 3D Printing Optimizing distribution center operations Cradle-to-Grave approach to Asset Management Electronic Enterprise Quality Management Systems Protecting your Automation IT LEAN

MANUFACTURING

Applying Lean strategies to Supply Chain Six Sigma Deployment & Kaizen – Continuous Improvement Waste Reduction Taking Lean beyond cost reduction Creating & sustaining High Performance Operations Streamlining manufacturing processes Quick response manufacturing

SUPPLY CHAIN

Supply Chain Management Working with 3PL’s Shortening Product Lifecycle Fleet Management Inventory & Operations Management Green Supply Chain Putting your Supply Chain in the Cloud Real-time Supply Chain visibility Automation storage & retrieval technology

HUMAN RESOURCES

Building resiliency into your workforce Talent Acquisition & Retention Strategy Leadership training for manufacturing operations Senior-level ‘buy-in’ and participation. Next generation of SCM talent ENERGY MANAGEMENT Energy efficient controls Power Factor Correction Alternative Fuels Water Conservation, Reuse & Remediation

QUALITY ASSURANCE/CONTROL

Vision Systems Engineering Performance Solutions Quality management & standardizations Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Multi-site maintenance strategies Diagnostic tools, planning & scheduling

MATERIALS HANDLING

Packaging Innovation, Solutions & Technologies Material movement & handling systems Warehouse tools & tactics to optimize warehouse space Materials Protection & Security Materials Handling, Storage, Use & Disposal

Speakers

Santiago Archila, Manager Factory Planning Group Husky Injection Molding Systems is one of the world’s leading suppliers of injection molding equipment and services to the global plastics industry. We design and manufacture a broad range of injection molding machines, hot runners, robots, molds and integrated systems.

Mark Correll, Vice President Manufacturing Operations Rockwell Collins is a pioneer in the development and deployment of innovative communication and aviation electronic solutions for both commercial and government applications.

Carl Hale, Vice President Manufacturing Visionworks (formerly Eye Care Centers of America, Inc.) is a leading provider of eye care services with more than 590 optical retail stores in 40 states and the District of Columbia through 5 store names that are leaders in eye care service in each of their respective markets.

Thomas Easterday, Executive Vice President, Secretary & General Counsel SIA was the first automotive assembly plant in the U.S. to be ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certified. Through the use of lean principles and innovative environmental programs, SIA achieved zero landfill status in May, 2004, and has significantly reduced waste generated, air emissions, and energy usage. Executive Vice President Tom Easterday will discuss the positive impact of SIA’s award-winning environmental programs on the environment, productivity, and cost efficiency.

Aubrey Jones, Sr., Director Engineering & Manufacturing Support Multi-national manufacturer of industrial starches, adhesives, polymers, electronic and engineering materials and specialty food products.

Chris Woodbridge, VP Global Manufacturing Strategy Chris has worked in SAC for over 25 years and held a number of manufacturing positions spanning that period. In particular, Chris established a regional manufacturing approach in Latin America and served as the first Global VP of Manufacturing for SAC.

Steve Fugarazzo, Manager of Facilities Engineering The Raytheon energy conservation program has been highly recognized across the Nation as well as internationally by the US EPA ENERGY STAR program, US EPA Climate Leaders program and the International Facilities Management Association (IFMA). The panel will focus on what Raytheon has done and is continuing to do to reach out to their employees to reduce plug load as well as how to tune up the infrastructure, conserve energy, and reduce costs. In addition, Raytheon has developed an energy survey tool which they use to identify and eliminate energy waste.

Dr. Sid Mundkur, Vice President Corporate Engineering Services Sid is the VP of Corporate Engineering Services for Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc., leading capital projects in the Americas, and working with Corporate EHS and Continuous Improvement, yield and efficiency improvements. Sid’s team identifies best available technologies. Sid has over 15 years experience in the ethanol industry, Engineering, Operations, R&D, and Technology Development.

Mark Servidio , Vice President – Logistics & Environmental Supply Chain Learn how shippers are working in a partnership with carriers and together reducing greenhouse gases – CO2, NOx, & PM. This program started in 2004 is working. It is not about whether global warming is real; it is about breathing cleaner air.

For more information click here.

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Chinese Solar to Lead the World

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According to a July 15 statement from the State Council, China will increase its installed solar capacity to 35 gigawatts (GWs) by 2015. The country plans to add 10 GWs of solar-power capacity annually over the next three years.

China is already the world’s biggest maker of solar panels, but it is suffering from oversupply. The expansion of domestic solar is designed to reduce the problem of oversupply that is plaguing the Chinese solar industry.

To achieve its ambitious goal China will help supply credit to profitable photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers, encourage overseas investment and offer tax breaks to solar companies that acquire others, merge or reorganize their operations. The government will also encourage partnerships between the makers of polysilicon (used to make solar panels) with chemical companies.

China's installed solar capacity is growing faster than any other country and it is expected that it will soon surpass Germany which is the current global leader.

© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.

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